Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Catholic institutions have wrestled over how closely to adhere to their religious doctrine in the face of shifting governmental policies. In other women's health news, a federal judge rules that a Texas law banning a common second-trimester abortion procedure is unconstitutional, and a restrictive law in Maine becomes the ACLU's next target.

The Wall Street Journal:
Notre Dame’s Stance On Birth Control Highlights Divide
The University of Notre Dame fought in court for five years to limit the government’s ability to push religiously affiliated employers to offer contraception benefits. Now, the university is voluntarily allowing birth-control benefits, exposing a divide among Catholic institutions. The university’s shift comes as the litigation enters a fresh phase after two U.S. Supreme Court cases and new rules championed by President Donald Trump’s administration. These rules, if implemented, would reverse a requirement set by Mr. Trump’s Democratic predecessor that most employers include birth-control benefits in workers’ health plans. (Radnofsky and Lovett, 11/23)

The New York Times:
Texas Abortion Law Is Unconstitutional, Federal Judge Rules
A Texas law restricting the most common form of second-trimester abortion is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday, saying it would impose an undue burden on women. A lawyer for abortion providers called the decision “a complete victory,” while state officials immediately said they would appeal. Ultimately, the case could make its way to the United States Supreme Court. (Astor, 11/22)

The Associated Press:
Federal Judge Blocks Texas Ban Of Common Abortion Procedure
Federal judges have already ruled against past Texas efforts to change the disposal of fetal remains and deny Medicaid funding to abortion provider Planned Parenthood over videos secretly recorded by an anti-abortion group. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted most of a sweeping, anti-abortion law approved in Texas in 2013 which helped force the closure of more than half of the state's abortion clinics. (11/22)

Boston Globe:
ACLU Targets ‘Restrictive’ Maine Abortion Law
Because of Maine’s vast rural expanse and often difficult travel conditions, the American Civil Liberties Union has settled on the state as promising terrain to challenge the law, which carries criminal charges for people who perform an abortion without a physician’s license. ...If successful in Maine, the plaintiffs in the case, filed in US District Court for the District of Maine, expect similar legal challenges across the country. (Jacobs, 11/24)

This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.